“Fox News will dine out on this,” Maher said during the panel discussion on tonight’s Real Time with Bill Maher. Earlier in the show, during the opening monologue, Maher said, “Of course Fox News loves this story because it proves their stupid theory that racism is a hoax.”

Smollett, Maher said, “wanted to be a victim without going through all the steps…”

But Real Time guest Donna Brazile wasn’t having it. The former Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and co-author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics had a more straightforward theory about Smollett’s alleged false police report.

“He wanted a raise, he wanted a raise, he wanted a raise,” a furious Brazile said. “No one wants to be a victim of hate crimes, no one wants to be victim of being attacked and brutalized because you’re gay or black or Jewish. That’s bullsh*t. He wanted a pay raise and he wanted to bring attention to himself. I’m angry with him. I’m upset with him. He owes not only the city of Chicago an apology, but there are real, live victims out there today, and I refuse to shut up because he played a terrible game, and it’s painful.”

Not to be outdone, Maher got the final word on Smollett: “I saw Jussie’s interview with Robin Roberts,” the host said, “and he’s not a good actor.”

Earlier in the show, Maher raised the subject of Fox News with Rep. Adam Schiff by imploring the Democrat to go on Fox News to spread Schiff’s anti-Trump gospel of decency and integrity. (Watch that segment above).

Friday morning, Schiff had written an open letter to Republicans in Congress beseeching them to say in public what they say in private about Trump. “You‘ve bemoaned Trump’s lack of decency, character and integrity,” Schiff wrote in the Washington Post. “But you have chosen to keep your misgivings, your rising alarm, private. The time for silent disagreement is over. You must speak out.”

Maher seemed taken aback when Schiff mentioned on Real Time that Fox News’ Sean Hannity invites him on his show “a lot.”

After some further Fox cajoling, Schiff gave in. “I will go,” he told Maher, “for you.”

With that accomplished, Maher eventually turned his attention to Amazon and its recent falling-out with New York City as a potential headquarters site. Maher, in his New Rules segment, implored Amazon to go where it could do some real good: a Red State that needs the jobs and some attention.

“Liberals,” he said, “have to start recolonizing” the angry, alienated red states. “There are no Real Housewives of Toledo or CSI: Lubbock.” His advice to Jeff Bezos: Stop playing affluent cities off of one another “and help a dying one come back to life.”

Watch Maher’s New Rules segment about Amazon here:

This article was printed from https://deadline.com/2019/02/bill-maher-jussie-smollett-donna-brazile-gift-fox-news-bad-actor-1202563087/